Relax
by pandorabox82
Summary: Rossi finds that he can't help but tell Reid to relax every time they're with Penelope and Erin. Written to promote the Profiler Choice Awards


Rossi rolled his eyes as he listened to Spencer rattle off yet another useless fact as he rubbed Penelope's distended stomach. She was due in less than a month, and she and Erin couldn't wait to find out what they were having. Why they had elected to keep it a surprise, he could only speculate, but it was rather adorable watching his former lover flit and hover around Penelope, catering to her every whim.

"Spencer, I think that Erin knows all of that already. She's experienced pregnancy three times before."

"Be that as it may, her youngest is eighteen now. Which makes it nineteen years since she's been pregnant. There have been a few things discovered in that time." He gave Dave one of his looks and he just shook his head, letting the kid ramble on as Erin drifted over to his side, wrapping her arm around his waist.

"Let him prattle on, David. He's not doing any harm," she whispered before resting her head on his shoulder. "Are you all settled in now, from his move?"

"Yes. Though it is taking longer than I expected to arrange for workers to come in and create a hermitically sealed room for his library. Until then, the rare books remain in storage."

She laughed gently as she watched Penelope and Spencer interact, holding on to his waist tightly. "Heaven forbid anything happen to his precious books. David?"

"Yes, bella?"

She sighed lightly before replying. "You don't mind that I ended up with Penelope, do you?"

He thought long and hard as he watched Spencer rest his hand on Penelope's shoulder, his eyes on him the entire time. That was one thing he had found the hardest to get used to, the way that Spencer always watched him, always made sure that he was looking. He was almost certain it came from the fact that both his father and Jason had left when he had taken his eyes off of them. He didn't want to be the one who failed his lover, not when he needed him the most. "No, I don't mind, Erin. You needed to be with her, just like I needed to be with Spencer. Fate has a way of leading us to what we need the most. And we're all happy now, right?"

She nodded, and he knew that she was smiling at Penelope by the way the younger woman's eyes softened, the way her lips curved up in that sweet little moue she reserved for Erin alone. "I would say that we are, David. Now, why don't you let us get lunch together, and you and Spencer just relax for a bit. I know that is something elusive these days, but try. All right?"

He nodded before dropping a kiss to the top of her head, gently pushing her away. She immediately went over to Penelope and helped her to stand. As he watched, they seemed to fuse together, almost becoming one person as they made their way to the kitchen. Spencer came over to his side as he watched them go, and Dave was able to hear his worried sigh. "Erin said that we need to relax."

"I know. I know. It's just, what if I passed on bad genes to their babies? What if the schizophrenia skips a generation and one of them end up being scarred by it like my mother? I would never forgive myself if that happened."

Dave looked at his lover, feeling his eyes narrow. "They're only having one baby."

"No, Penelope's having twins, you can tell by the way she's carrying them."

"I went to the last ultrasound, since Erin was in the middle of a trial. There was only one heartbeat on the monitor. Therefore, only one baby."

"I hate to say you're wrong, Dave, but…you're wrong. When she goes into labor, there are going to be two babies coming out, I can just feel it. Which means double the chance of a crazy kid." He sounded close to tears, and Dave tugged him close to his chest, rubbing his back softly. "I should never have agreed to be their donor."

"Spencer, you did the right thing. I have full confidence that in the long run, everything will be okay. Have a little faith in me, okay?"

"All right. I mean, you, at least, haven't walked out on me, even when I annoyed you the most."

"You never annoyed me," he replied as he led his lover over the sofa, tugging him down next to him. "You made me uncomfortable. All that knowledge in your head, and I felt like a country bumpkin next to you. Now, though, I've seen behind your mask of intelligence, seen the heart that beats there, and know you. I won't abandon you, I promise."

It seemed as if those were the words that Spencer needed to hear, as the tension left his body. Snuggling against him, Spencer picked up one of his hands, worrying the thumb between his fingers. "Somehow, I believe you. You always were tough on me, expecting me to rise not just to the mental challenges, but to the mental ones as well. The others don't do that. Just like Erin always calls me Agent Reid, you always expect me to be Agent Reid. It's one of the things I love about you."

Dave smiled as he tried to think of words that would best express his own feelings for the younger man. "And you always know the perfect thing to say. You would think, being an author, that the right words would just hop out of my mouth. But it's hard for me to just blurt out what someone needs. That is always there for you. And it's one of the things that bothers me, but I love it, too. If you know what I mean. I love you."

Spencer nodded against his chest, and Dave relaxed, letting the warmth of the moment bleed into his skin. While he wouldn't admit it aloud, he was learning to live for moments like these, and he couldn't wait until the next one came along.

**NOMINATIONS HAVE STARTED FOR PROFILER'S CHOICE CRIMINAL MINDS FANFIC AWARDS! Calling all CM readers and authors! Join us for the annual Profiler's Choice CM Awards on fanfiction . net! Help us choose the best of the best of the CM stories on this site, and let your voice be heard. Please check out the nomination ballot and rules at the ProfilerChoiceAwards2013 Forum. All rules and information are on the forum. Nominations are due October 31st. All entries with ten or more categories filled out are eligible to win one of two Amazon gift cards!**


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